Tour 2: The Beginning This segment marked the real beginning of the tour. After leaving the coast there could be no second-guessing and no turning back. Much of the riding here was in mountain and forest wilderness, interupted by the occasional small town. I spent several days on long, isolated stretches of highway without any amenities. The ride started out wet. It hardly stopped raining for two days after I left Surrey, and my gear and my body were constantly wet. Despite the weather conditions I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Climbing up through the Fraser Canyon was spectacular, and as I left the Fraser for the Thompson the land and weather got drier. North of Kamloops the terrain turned into true wilderness where I could really appreciate the massiveness and quietude of the landscape. Crossing the Rockies turned out to be not as challening as I had imagined, but I was not dissapointed by the wildlife - I saw plenty of black bears, deer, elk and mountain goats. Descending into the foothills of Alberta the weather took another turn - I got stuck out in a number of thunder and hail storms. But on my approach to Edmonton everything was just right - my last night I camped next to an old farmhouse and had a fantastic night of sleep. This tour demonstrates the incredibly varied terrain of western Canada from temperate rainforest to high semi-desert to alpine forest. It took almost two weeks to complete this portion of the tour. | |||
